French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed former European Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as the country’s new prime minister. Barnier, a veteran conservative, will aim to form a “unity government” and avoid a possible vote of no confidence in a fragmented parliament.
The decision was taken after several weeks of consultations to ensure an appointment “as safe as possible”. In his first statement, Barnier stressed that “a lot of listening and a lot of respect will be needed. Respect between the government and Parliament” to start working on it.
The political crisis in France was sparked after the president called for legislative elections to be held in 2027, resulting in a National Assembly with three main blocs without an absolute majority.
In the elections, the left-wing coalition, New Popular Front (NFP), won the election and promised to repeal Macron’s pension reform. However, the president refused to nominate economist Lucie Castets, a candidate for the NFP, in order to ensure “stability”.
Barnier, who has experience as a minister, European commissioner and chief Brexit negotiator, also has the potential support of his party, the Republicans (LR) and Macron’s alliance. He also faces the challenge of avoiding a vote of no confidence, which could be supported by the far-right National Rally (RN) and the left-wing coalition.
The RN, led by Marine Le Pen, has ruled out a vote of no confidence for the moment, although it has expressed its priorities on issues such as purchasing power, immigration and insecurity.
In his first speech as prime minister, Barnier outlined his priorities on access to public services, education, security, immigration control and standard of living.
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2024-09-11 01:22:40